Four killed in Benue road crash

Four persons lost their lives on Sunday in a crash on the Gboko/Makurdi Highway.

The accident happened at Tyo-Mu, close to the Nigerian Air Force base, Makurdi, when the Toyota Hilux van conveying them had a head-on collision with another vehicle coming in the opposite direction.

According to an eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the crash happened when the Hilux plunged into a river near a bridge on the highway.

The victims were said to be returning from a holiday in the Obudu Cattle Ranch, Cross River State.

The driver of the van was said to have lost control of the vehicle and veered off the road and crashed into the river and the vehicle was submerged.

But the state police command said the van was on high speed and rammed into an oncoming vehicle at a sharp bend.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Catherine Anene, said two persons lost their lives in the crash.

“What we gathered is that a Hilux van had a head-on collision with another vehicle coming in the opposite direction; one person died on the spot, while another one died in hospital,” Anene said.

The Benue State Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, Aliyu Baba, who confirmed the crash, said it involved a backup vehicle in the convoy of the member of the House of Representatives representing the Oju/Obi Federal Constituency, Samson Okwu.

The sector commander, who said only one person died, added that the vehicle plunged into a river.

Baba stated, “The accident involved the convoy of a member of the House of Representatives from the Oju/Obi Federal Constituency and affected the backup vehicle. They were going to Abuja. Only one person died.

“The accident was caused by fatigue and excessive speeding; it happened around 4.10pm on Sunday.”